


Drabbles, ficlets, and other stuff from tumblr

by ssironstrange



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Drpepperony, Iron Man (Movies), IronStrange - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Drpepperony - Freeform, F/M, Falling In Love, Flashbacks, Flirting, Fluff, IronStrange, Love Confessions, M/M, Multi, Past Sexual Abuse, Polyamory, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sickfic, Sleepy Cuddles, Stephen Strange Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 07:35:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15881502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssironstrange/pseuds/ssironstrange
Summary: Smaller works from tumblr featuring Ironstrange or Drpepperony. some smut, some fluff, some inbetween stuff!





	1. Lazy Cuddles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleepy, lazy morning cuddles with Stephen after a night of very little sleep for Tony.

Another summer thunderstorm rolled through the night before, leaving everything outside soggy, the air heavy with humidity with not enough of a breeze to rid of the staleness. It wasn’t hot, but remained just warm enough to be uncomfortable; sticky and hard to breathe simply standing in it.  
A loud crack of thunder jolted Tony out of sleep. It was rare he actually slept at night, so go figure once he did something would wake him up. An of course, he couldn’t get himself to fall back to sleep. Stephen, on the other hand…  
Tony glanced over at him, smiled and shook his head. He was still out, curled up on his side under the pile of extra blankets he liked to heap on himself. That man could slumber through the end of the world once he finally got to sleep. Tony leaned down and kissed against a streak of gray before getting up.

There wasn’t much for him to do in the Sanctum. Not enough tech to tinker with. But books, at least, there were plenty of, and Tony did love to learn. Sadly, most of them were in languages he didn’t know. A handful, though, were in dated English and readable. So with a cup of coffee with too much sugar and some toast with peanut butter, Tony sat down and read.  
Five books later, each at least as thick as his arm, he finally looked up.  
At some point the sun had risen.  
Which meant Stephen would be up. Had he really been so absorbed that he missed his good morning kiss? Glancing at the time, he rubbed a hand over his face and groaned. It was past 8 already. Yes, he had missed it.

Quietly he ascended the stairs to the second floor, greeted by the brightness of that huge around window, and Stephen sitting amongst a collection of large pillows below it. It was one of his favored spots for meditation, something about the lighting and the energy given off by all the relics across the room. Whatever the case, he looked fucking stunning.  
Normally he would have left him to it. This time he didn’t.  
Tony approached and lowered down onto a pillow beside him, then lifted Stephen’s arm to crawl and wiggle his way beneath it ti lay himself across his thighs. Stephen cracked his eyes open and settled his gaze of glass green onto the man sprawled halfway across his lap like a clumsy dog. He couldn’t help but smile.

“Good morning.” his other hand moved off of his knee and rested against the mess of dark brunette of Tony’s head, threading his fingers into the plush hair.  
“You didn’t kiss me.” Tony pouted. “So it’s not a good morning.”  
“I didn’t want to disturb your reading. You were pretty deep into it. Couldn’t sleep?”  
Against Stephen’s thigh, Tony shook his head slightly. “Storm woke me up.”  
With some effort, mainly Tony getting off of him for a moment, Stephen shifted his legs to the side, gathered up the pillows around him a bit closer, then laid himself onto them while pulling Tony in against him. Lips found lips, Tony smiling into it, tangling their legs and scooting himself in impossibly closer.  
“Now it’s a good morning,” Tony murmured against his mouth and stole another kiss before burying his head beneath Stephen’s chin and into his throat.  
Stephen curled his arm around Tony tighter, his other folded beneath a pillow under his head.  
There they stayed wrapped up in each other and napped the rest of the lazy, muggy morning away.


	2. Through Sickness and Gross

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony is down with the flu, pathetic and helpless and completely reliant on Stephen's care.

Call it twisted, but Stephen rather adored a very sick and feverish Tony. He was by far one of the worst possible patients when it came to following doctor’s orders, a never-ending stream of complaints, and twice as dramatic as he was on any given day.

But Stephen loved every second of doting on him and putting former skills to good use. It would be a blatant lie if he were to say he never missed doctoring - it had been his entire life, after all. Tending to a flu-ridden genius wasn’t quite neurosurgery… but it was something, at least.

“Steeebennn…” Tony croaked out a pathetic, stuffy-nosed whine.

A silk ribbon was placed between the pages of the book he currently had his nose buried in, then Stephen set it aside and raised from the armchair. Hard as it was, he tried his best not to grin sheepishly at the man buried under three layers of blankets despite sweating from the heat of the fever. Stephen had argued, but Tony was a stubborn ass even at his worst.

“Let me guess, now you’re hot?”

Tony nodded and tried a feeble attempt of kicking the blankets off.

“Told you.” With an amused sigh, Stephen peeled them back one by one until he was down to the sheet - which was soaked in sweat. Ugh. Now he’d have to change the bedding. Again. Settling onto the edge of the bed beside him, Stephen took the thermometer from the nightstand and rolled it across his forehead from temple to temple.

“It’s come down a couple degrees. Tamiflu must be starting to kick in.” Next, he gently grasped Tony’s wrist and pressed the pads of two fingers against the artery. Looking down at his watch, the beats were counted out in his head, even tracking the bystolic and systolic and calculating the margin of error for him lying down.

“Blood pressure and resting pulse are still higher than I’d like.”

Tony grunted, barely having the strength to do as much as that.

“Did you eat at all today? Before you called?” Stephen already knew the answer to that. Stark was notorious about skipping meals.

Tony confirmed it with a small shake of his head.

“How have you even managed to keep yourself alive?” His mocking was playful and might have earned some witty remark any other day. Today, Tony just grumbled. Stephen leaned over him to place a light kiss to his forehead, hot against his lips and salty from perspiration.

“I want half that bottle of water gone before I get back. I’m going to make some soup - you ought to be able to hold that down.” Said water bottle was scooted towards the edge of the nightstand for easier access before he stood.

As expected, Tony protested with whimpers only a puppy could rival. God, he was so pathetically cute. So weak and helpless. So needy of Stephen’s help. Vaguely he wondered if the rest of the team were at all so pitiful when ill or if Tony was just the dramatic exception.

“Drink and rest. It won’t take me long.

* * *

 

Half of the ingredients he had to borrow from his own kitchen at the Sanctum, but the soup was quick and easy. Chicken broth with shreds of their leftover grilled chicken from the night before, some diced carrots steamed nice and soft, thin slivers of celery and a dash of parsley and pepper. It was poured into a coffee mug, already figuring he’d probably only manage a few bites. A spoon was grabbed, and back to his boyfriend’s room he went.

Tony managed to actually sit up partially and was finishing off the entire bottle of water instead of the half he’d asked for.

“Look at you, won’t be long until you’re back on your feet and stepping on mine for more dance lessons.” This time, Stephen allowed himself to grin.

“You sug at teaching.” Tony grumbled, eyes heavy with bags raising to the cup in his hands.

“You  _sug_ at dancing.” The sorcerer glided down into a graceful sit once more and pushed the warm mug into Tony’s hands. “Eat as much as you can.”

Stark hung his head over the cup, bathing his face in the steam in hopes it might break up the pressure in his sinuses. Somehow his nose was both runny and so stuffed up that he couldn’t even sniffle - a few times he had resorted to actually stuffing tissue into each nostril. Though his face was already flushed with fever, the heat still felt good on it.

“You made this? Didn’d pordal to a store to buy it?”

Stephen wanted to squish his face. Precious can’t-breathe-through-his-nose Tony was  _too_  precious.

“Yep. I made it.”

“Good thing I can’d tasde righd now.” Tiredly, barely even visible, he grinned towards Stephen and took a couple of bites that were… tasteless. At least the heat felt good going down his throat and settling into his empty stomach.

Stephen smirked and shook his head. What a world class asshole. One he wouldn’t trade for anyone else in the multiverse. For a moment he left the bed to fetch his book, then returned to circle around to the other side where he sat and scooted in shoulder to shoulder with him. Likely just to get on his nerves, Tony slurped every spoonful as loud as he could and slow as he could. Not quite annoying enough to distract him from his reading, though. Not yet, at least.

“Thangs, Steben.” What was left in the cup he set over on the nightstand that was quickly filling with clutter, then he leaned up against the man, resting his head onto his shoulder. “I lub you.”

“Tony, baby, you have got to stop talking. It’s too adorable and I simply cannot handle it.” Stephen dipped his head down and kissed the top of his head, smiling against the wild mess his hair was. “And, I love you, too.”

Stark began to laugh, but ended up with a coughing fit instead. “Eben if I’m disgusding?”

“Even then.”

“Eben if I god snod on you?”

“I’ve had worse things than a little snot. Residency is hell.”

“Oh, uh, good.”

Stephen paused, raising his head up from his rat’s nest of hair to try and get a good look at him, but he was sort of tucking his face against his arm.

“There’s snot all over my sleeve, isn’t there?”

“Yeeeah…”

Once more his book was shut with a quiet thump and he sighed, but the smile never quite left his lips. Yep, even when he was disgusting and snotting all over him, Stephen loved the idiot genius. Shaking hands worked his buttons undone slowly and with difficulty, but it got done. He shrugged it off and draped it over Tony’s head.

“Might as well use it for a tissue now.”

Tony did just that, blowing his nose as well as he could, wiping it clean, then balled the shirt up and dropped it over the edge of the bed. Stephen just chuckled and wrapped his arm around his boyfriend to pull him in to cuddle against his now bare chest. It had Tony murmur softly and kiss his chest gently.

“Feels like your fever might finally be done. Why don’t you try to get some sleep.” Fingers brushed along his back, hardly even minding the tackiness of his skin as he settled down to partially lie down for him.

“I’m gonna drool.”

Stephen shrugged lightly. “Probably snore, too. Just sleep.”

Tony didn’t have to be told twice - hardly even once as he was already starting to doze off. One of the blankets he had pulled off previously was tugged up over his torso, then another kiss given to Tony’s head. So not to disturb him, Stephen motioned to the book, using a bit of magic to hold it suspended in the air before him. And there he would contently stay for as long as Tony slept.


	3. A Strange Kind of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Thanos, after life returned to some sense of normal, Stephen unexpectedly found himself as a part of Tony and Pepper's relatively quiet domestic life. Their cherished friendship evolves into much, much more.

They locked eyes from across the room.

One pair like sunlight shining through well-aged rum, the other pair were a layered mix of the gray clinging to the sky after a storm with a luster of frosted pine.

Magnetic tension trapped them, held them unblinking for one, two, three heartbeats, then released.

Tony’s fingers resting on Pepper’s hip squeezed with light pressure and he pulled her half an inch closer to tilt his head to an ear hidden beneath the curtain of fire-licked blonde.

“Stephen’s here.” He whispered and guided her gaze with his own over to him to leave the guests chattering in front of them none the wiser. Deep cerulean regarded him a moment too long and she looked away just as she saw the motion of his head turning in their direction again. Her next inhale was deeper, and Tony noticed it and masked his amusement in an extra long drink of the tart wine he’d been swirling around more than consuming.

* * *

Fighting together to save the countless lives across the universe formed a particular bond as it was. One of them dying for it, the other figuring out a way to bring him back, and then fighting together again to finish what had been started but with tenfold the strength with the help of one Carol Danvers, now that formed a bond that couldn’t even be broken on an atomic level.

Stephen shared in their joy as Tony and Pepper finally exchanged rings and vows and they all thought that would be the end of their association with one another. Tony retired from the team - not that it stopped him from still helping in especially tough situations - and Stephen had his duties as Master of the New York Sanctum to attend. Yet, they kept crossing paths. Be it Tony at the compound upgrading tech or doing suit fittings, Stephen joining in combat or inviting Tony over for his opinions on alien tech, they were inexplicitly drawn together. And it only got worse. Whenever he had the chance, Stephen was usually found in the company of Tony and Pepper in their own home. It started with a simple dinner invitation, but quickly turned into dinners twice weekly, random movie nights, and date nights with the three of them. Somehow, Stephen had become part of their quiet little domestic life and they were glad for it. It warmed Pepper’s heart to see Tony _finally_  make another actual friend besides Rhodes, and she was deeply fond of his friendship as well. Swimming amongst sharks as CEO and a husband as none other than  _the_  Iron Man had left little room for friendships over the last decade. Stephen’s was a breath of fresh air.

Two years in, that air had changed. Still welcome, still so needed and cherished, but… different. It was a heavier air; pressurized and full of static that charged a little more every time Stephen was around.

* * *

Stephen cleaned and bandaged new wounds Tony had sustained along his shoulder and bicep in a reckless, split-second decision to use himself as a shield for Peter Parker when an entire damn truck was thrown at him while he wasn’t looking. Thankfully, the armor itself took nearly all of the damage, but the nanotech had its limits and it crumbled away from the sheer blunt force and momentum, dislocating his shoulder and splitting open a five inch gash. Stephen ended the fight within seconds following that. Shaking hands were stabilized by magic long enough to stitch the laceration, the entire time lecturing him how he had to be more careful.

“What if we lost you?” Stephen’s words were heated with worried anger. He realized too late what he’d said.

_We._

He paused rolling the gauze. Tony stared at him.

 _It_  crept up like a thief in the night, each step silent and breathing carefully hushed. They had been completely and utterly unaware of the intrusion while lost in simply living life. And now, deep inside the easy comfort of one another, it made a sound. Too quiet to pinpoint, but enough to realize it’s presence.

* * *

Laughter bubbled like cheerful morning birdsongs from the kitchen. Pepper shoved Stephen to the side with a bump of her shoulder and he flicked the flour from his fingers into her face to freckle her cheek with the powder. In retaliation, she planted both hands into the bowl of flour, then quickly reached up and smacked them against each side of his face, leaving behind white handprints that had her erupting into another wave of giggles.

Stephen dumped the entire bowl onto the top of her head, flour avalanching around her shoulders. Her stunned silence and frozen position had a warm chuckle rippling smoothly from his chest. Pepper sputtered, white dust puffing from her mouth and his laugh deepened when she targeted him in a glare from bright blues that popped against the stark white she was coated in.

“I’m never letting you into the kitchen. Ever. Again.”

“Mmhm, then who’s gonna get things from the high shelves? Face it, you two need me.” Stephen grinned at her angry huff, then opened one of the nearby drawers to pluck a clean hand towel out. He brushed it over her brow and eyes, dragged it over freckled cheeks that seemed a shade or two pinker than usual. The playful anger faded away and Stephen couldn’t quite figure out what had taken it’s place.

It was something soft and searching that made his stomach flutter and heart thump suddenly to catch up from the few beats it decided to skip.

“You need us, too, Stephen…” There was such an enormous tenderness to her voice that bled into her smile.

Stephen found it hard to swallow around the tightness growing in his throat.

* * *

“If you’ll excuse me,” Pepper cut sharply into the conversation she and Tony were more bystanders of than participants in. Gracefully, she slipped out of Tony’s hold on her hip and glided across the room, through the crowd and towards the ladies room. Tony’s eyes lingered, drinking in the gentle curve of her spine which the backless [gown](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FgNUrWaT.jpg&t=ODg4YTk5ZGYzZTg5MmU3NTRkZjBjOGNmYjcyM2YzMDcyNGQwMzcxOSx0ZW9xTXNncA%3D%3D&b=t%3AQWfxtrmJEEniSjCKVZtkyw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fssironstrange.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F177301842055%2Fa-strange-kind-of-love-pt-2&m=1) offered a remarkable view of. Silk like liquid emerald dripped from her shoulders and cut a deep V that plunged down and stopped just above the navel. Fabric criss crossed and pulled tight against her slight waist and caressed her shapely posterior and hips, then pooled around her feet and trailed as she walked. Tony only looked away when she vanished around a corner.

“What are your thoughts, Stark?” One of the two men asked. He was portly, hair gone white with eyebrows that reminded him of furry caterpillars.

“Yeah… I stopped listening about ten minutes ago.” Tony tossed back the remaining wine and handed the empty glass to furry-brows who took it with some confusion. “And I’ll keep not listening for as long as your company continues to manufacture weapon parts.” He backed away with a trademark smirk cocked on his lips. “Enjoy the rest of the party, though. I’ve been told there’s some kickass tiramisu in the spread.” A two fingered wave was offered before he spun around on the ball of his foot and continued in the direction of the grand staircase where he’d caught a glimpse of Stephen making his way up to the second level. Stairs were taken two at a time and he took a right at the top to follow the balcony’s curve around the ballroom below, then came to a stop in front of a large wooden pillar and Stephen leaning forward on the railing beside it.

“Avoiding us for any particular reason?” Tony asked and leaned his back against the pillar.

“You two looked to be having such a good time, far be it from me to impose.” Stephen pushed off the rail and turned to face Tony with a playful smirk.

“I was practically begging you to come save us. Gotta learn how to read a look, man.”

“Oh, I read it perfectly clear,” Stephen stepped in  _close_. He leaned in even closer and raised his arm to brace against the pillar above Tony’s head. “And it was another sort of begging,” Smooth baritone dropped in volume, but Tony was certain he could feel it vibrating in his chest. “Wasn’t it?” Stephen asked, head lowering until his face hovered mere inches above Tony’s.

Trapped in his chest, Tony’s heart hammered, flooded his ears and drowned out the cacophony of music and people below them. His tongue swiped along his lower lip while his eyes couldn’t quite pull away from Stephen’s nor his thoughts from how soft they seemed and how many times, including now, he wondered how they tasted.

“You, uh… might be on to something…” Tony quietly muttered, head tilting up just a fraction.

“Show me,” Stephen’s low rumble struck Tony at his very core, surging with the voltage of a lightning strike.

Tony leaned in and that single strike erupted into a storm of electricity when his lips met Stephen’s. The air was kissed straight out of his lungs, again and again but he couldn’t bring himself to stop. Not even when it felt like he would suffocate against him. The moment Stephen opened his mouth to him, Tony’s tongue plunged inside with a hunger he’d been denying until starvation.

Pepper cleared her throat.

Tony ripped away with such speed his head whipped back against the pillar hard enough for the thump to echo slightly around them. Stephen blinked towards her in the languid way a cat content and safe in its surroundings might have and stood up straight.

“It’s about damn time,” Her sigh was exasperated, voice amused.

It left Tony both confused and relieved.

“You knew?”

“Tony,” She came in closer, walking through the light between the shadow of the pillars and caught Stephen blatantly staring at how that light played with the sheen of the silk. “I’m fairly certain everyone  _but_  you knew.”

“Wow, okay, I’m not  _that_  obvious, thank you.”

Both Pepper and Stephen trapped him in pointed, unamused looks that absolutely begged to differ. His shoulders fell and he glanced off to the side with a little sniff.

“Fine. Maybe a little obvious.”

“Oh! While he’s licking his wounds…” Stephen patted against the chest of his suit until he felt the slender box in one of the inner pockets, then reached in to pull it out. “Tony said this was one of your favorites?” Scarred fingers opened the case and handed it gingerly towards Pepper. Joy lit her features at the sight of the necklace.

“Yes! I’ve been wondering where it went! Why did you have it, though?”

“Hang on, time out,” Tony interrupted, pushed off the pillar, and folded his arms. “This isn’t weird. Why isn’t this weird? You just found me with my tongue practically down his throat and you aren’t even… annoyed? This feels like a trap.”

“Oh my god, calm down.” Pepper laughed quietly. “Stephen and I talked about it a couple of days ago. We were going to talk to you tonight after all this, but apparently someone is impatient.”

She cast him a playfully sharp look while handing the case back to him. From the black velvet he plucked the silver chain out and pocketed the case again.

“Guilty,” Stephen grinned sheepishly while moving to stand behind Pepper.

“Talked about what, exactly?” Tony watched them with an intense curiosity.

Stephen bunched up loose reddish blonde waves and pushed them over her shoulder, then draped the necklace around her neck and brought the ends together to clasp it with a little extra effort through the shaking of his digits.

“That we are clearly in love with each other and have been for a while now.” Stephen glanced up, fingers still resting against the nape of her neck. “And, I had the necklace to weave a few protection enchantments into it. I wanted to do something for your birthday, so…” Eyes fell down to her again.

Tony’s arms uncrossed and dropped to his sides dramatically, as if he was supposed to be satisfied with an answer that left him with more questions than answers. Pepper placed a hand against the [necklace](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fn0fDXeP.jpg&t=Njg4MmYxMmQ3MThkN2JhYmYwYjRjYTZkYzczMmM1MWMxZmRjZDE0MCx0ZW9xTXNncA%3D%3D&b=t%3AQWfxtrmJEEniSjCKVZtkyw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fssironstrange.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F177301842055%2Fa-strange-kind-of-love-pt-2&m=1), fingers tracing the small icy blue sapphires and crescents of silver between them and stopping on the larger sapphire pendant that dangled low on her chest.

“That was… incredibly thoughtful of you, Stephen. Thank you, honestly.” Turning towards him, Pepper raised onto her tiptoes and pressed a far more chaste kiss to his lips than what he had just a moment ago.

“I’m entirely too sober to deal with this.” Tony groaned and rubbed his hands over his face and up into his hair.

With a quiet sigh and a fond smile, Pepper turned and crossed the space between them to her husband. Both hands lifted to rest on either side of his face, Tony tilting his head into one of them a bit more. In her heels, he had to actually look up at her just slightly and softened when he did. How he lucked into a woman like her was so beyond his comprehension. He still loved her as much now as he did when he first realized it twelve years ago - so much that sometimes he swore his heart would simply burst from it.

But then there was Stephen. Tony glanced over to him for a moment. It was well past infatuation now, but he’d been denying anything else. People didn’t just fall in love with multiple people at the same time, he couldn’t do that to Pepper, it wasn’t normal, it would be a PR nightmare, and he didn’t deserve the love of anyone else - barely even deserved Pepper’s. Tony always had an excuse at the ready to tell himself.

“Are you sure about this, honey?” Tony dragged his eyes back to her.

“It’s going to take some getting used to… but I’m sure. Besides, he’s practically been our husband already these last two years.”

Stephen couldn’t stop a small grin.

“True. In every way but one.” Tony turned into one of her palms, pressing a kiss against it, then leaned in for one from her lips. Stephen’s taste lingered there, faint but recognizable.

“That could change. Tonight.” Pepper kissed the corner of his mouth and regarded him with quite the suggestive bedroom gaze.

“Hmm, ditch my own company’s party for the threesome of my dreams? Let me think about that. Uh.  _Yes?_ ”

“On it.” Stephen already had the sling ring on his fingers and within a few seconds the circular gateway spiraling open in a blaze of orange sparks straight into Tony and Pepper’s bedroom.

Tony placed his hands over his heart and gave an exaggerated sappy sigh. “A man after my own heart.” And through the portal he went.

“And that ass.” Stephen added out of his earshot and Pepper snickered as she made her way through. He followed last, closing the portal with a wave of his hand.


	4. soter's sweet deliverance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be written for the part 2 of Grim's au _[if only the gods had mercy on us](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15792840)_ when Tony and Stephen are reunited. Stephen tells Tony about his rape and just wants more than anything to stop the flashbacks. He wants those memories replaced by new ones, better ones, by someone he loves. But it's not so simple.
> 
> (it was going to lead into a sex scene but it never got that far. i wrote this wayyyyy before the story was fleshed out and it didn't work out in the direction the plot went. liked it too much to trash it though.)

Tony had heard enough for now, and Stephen’s voice was growing hoarse from fatigue; it was the most he’d spoken since the trauma of assault swallowed it down where it could be kept safe. His heart broke for Stephen, but not in nearly as many pieces as the sorcerer had already been broken. There was rage, too. Such raw anger that bubbled like molten lava in the pit of his gut and flowed red-hot through thoughts of hunting that son of a bitch down and making him live the rest of his days in regret for daring to even think about touching Stephen that way, for taking advantage of him, for hurting him. Anger, however, was not Tony’s first instinct to act upon. It never had been.

It was love. Selfless love that made him want to heal the wounds of Stephen’s soul and mind, to protect him from everything and everyone. It was love that compelled Tony to wash away the pain and sorrow and pour into him until he overflowed with it.

* * *

Tony’s lips kissed every inch of pale flesh with claiming heat, pausing with each shuddering rise of his chest to pull dark red and purple marks to the surface.  _Mine_ , they spoke, as the moon speaks to the ocean.  _Yours. All yours_. Stephen’s body replied, electrified plasma coursing between the layers of matter that made him whole.  
Powerful, capable hands that had hammered out metal from the blazing heat of a forge and built an entire suit of armor from little more than scraps touched him with such careful, delicate tenderness as they refamiliarized themselves with the terrain of his body, fingers sparking lightning desire in their wake.

But the last time there were hands on him like this, they were  _wrong._

The next inhale hitched. Stephen could smell tobacco—the faint stench of it, burning against his nose, rotting against his skin—as Tony touched him. There were different hands there, skeletal fingers that pulled and grabbed and jerked unkindly with a rough carpet and the sheets biting into his skin until it was raw. Perverse violation.  
A sob ripped through him before he could stop it.  
Strong arms curled around his back and shoulders and pulled him up into a warm embrace that he let himself sink into with a heavy, broken sigh. Stephen hooked his arms beneath Tony’s and held as tight as weak hands could manage, face planting into the side of his neck. A deep, stabilizing breath was taken in slowly through his nose, guided by Tony’s soft and soothing direction. An amalgam of smells that made up the essence that was Tony beat back the phantom acrid odor holding his mind prisoner; fresh air from a brief stint outdoors, salty sweat, metal and machine oil, and the subtle but lingering lavendery-musky-cedary notes of his cologne. Stephen adhered himself to the scent as if it could glue the fractures of his mind back together.

Fingertips skated over the tacky skin of his back, slightly calloused and textured with minuscule scars and  _familiar._  The same fingers that traced nonsensical patterns against the back of his shoulders chased by tender, swollen lips after hours of their bodies tangled in one another. The same fingers that often intertwined with his own no matter if they were out in the public’s very narrow view or in the privacy of either of their homes. Fingers that he kissed the lingering sweetness of strawberries and chocolate from after being fed by them.

“I don’t want to remember this anymore,” Stephen whispered against the bronze pillar of his throat. “Make me forget, Tony,” Lips pressed with the tenderness of new spring grass, gradually migrating up to the prominent line of his jaw, ending with a kiss on a mouth that tasted like memories of a salty ocean breeze fluttering through wide open windows while tangled in each other between warm silk sheets and a down duvet. “Please.”


	5. Hearts Entwined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen has been in love with both Tony and Pepper, but not wanting to jeopardize the friendship with them or their marriage, he's kept quiet about it. Turns out the feeling is mutual, much to his surprise.
> 
> Vietnamese translation [here](https://meomeoluoi0911.wordpress.com/2019/04/28/dr-pepperony-hearts-entwinded/)

They had all lost count of how many times Stephen Strange made excuses to visit the compound. On a rare occasion he did actually need the assistance of one or more of the dysfunctional family of superheroes that occupied it, but his main purpose was to seek out and spend time with one Tony Stark.  
And by proxy, Pepper.

Playing an integral part of the whole saving the universe deal had apparently been enough to finally win him an invite to the wedding of the century - which was by no means an exaggeration. Stephen wasn’t sure he had ever seen anyone look at someone else with so much love the way Tony looked at Pepper.  
Often, Stephen caught himself thinking what it would be like to be on the receiving end of such a look.  
Even more often, Stephen wondered if his own eyes looked upon him in that way.

Stephen knew better than to try anything. Maybe in one of the millions of other realities there was one where he and Stark debated over who was taking whose name, but it wasn’t this one. It was a fact he accepted, but it didn’t stop him from at least wanting a friendship with him.  
It came easier than he expected.  
Unexpected was an equally easy friendship with Pepper.  
In fact, Stephen could start to see why Tony adored her so much. She was a force to be reckoned with when it came to business and finance, she had the patience of a saint, a heart with as much compassion as the ocean was deep, and a fierce, protective loyalty towards her husband. Not to mention she was absolutely gorgeous and just his type when it came to women. Tony had superb taste. Couldn’t have picked a more remarkable woman if he tried, in Stephen’s opinion.  
She had warmed to Stephen quickly and took the time to actually talk to him, to get to know him, to learn about him and his craft as well as his previous career. She was more than happy to keep him company while he waited for Tony, as was the case today.

Delicate bare feet carried her almost silently across the floor of the common living area, returning from the kitchen with two mugs steaming, the spicy aroma of chai trailing behind and surrounding her when she came to a stop before Stephen to hand over one of them. Both hands wrapped around it to keep it stable, the tips of his fingers brushing faintly against hers as she let go.  
“It should only be a little while longer. He just went to visit Rhodes for some maintenance on the exo-braces or whatever it is Tony’s calling them these days.” She waved a hand dismissively, cheerful blue eyes turning towards the continuous window that seemed to wrap around this half of the compound. It was a dreary autumn day, gray and damp with recent rain, a crisp coolness in the air that luckily stayed outside the window. Stephen curled his fingers against the warmth of the mug and sighed quietly as the ache within them was soothed.  
“How is Rhodes? I’m afraid I don’t get to see him too often.” Stephen asked while admiring the contrast of her red-tinged hair against the grayscale world outside.  
“Still one-upping Tony every chance he gets,” The edges of her eyes crinkled slightly with a smile, turning her gaze up to him. “I’ll tell him you asked.”  
Stephen nodded and raised the mug to his lips for a testing sip and nearly burned his them when he felt her hand on his upper arm, mentioning it was kind of him to ask.  
“It’s… ah, it’s really n–”  
“It’s kind.” She insisted. Her hand lingered. “ _You_  are kind. We’re lucky to have you around, always looking out for us… for Tony.” She gave a gentle squeeze before her hand slipped off. Stephen was staring at her, admittedly dumbstruck. Because of how she was looking at him.  
It was entirely too similar to the way Tony looked at her.  
“After the things we had to do…” Stephen couldn’t quite keep a grasp on his thoughts. Oh boy. What was happening? Why was her smile so coy?  
“You have no obligation because of that. You don’t have to care for him as much as you do, but you do,  _Stephen._ ” His name rolled from her lips as if read from poetry. Stephen swallowed thickly, felt the tips of his ears warming.  
“I, uh…”  
“Honey, are you flustering the wizard without me?” Tony emerged from the hallway, hair damp and a mess from towel drying with the towel he tossed over his shoulder. Stephen glanced back outside for a second, noticing it had started to rain yet again. That made more sense. Tony wrapped her in a warm embrace from behind and kissed her cheek, then settled those beautiful browns on Stephen.  
And they were soft. Soft like your own bed after a long, hard day. Stephen wondered what he’d done to be gifted with such a look.  
“I take it you haven’t told him yet?” The question was for Pepper, but his eyes never left Stephen. She laughed, clear and gentle.  
“I was just about to.”  
“Tell me what?” his own eyes, just slightly more blue than the gray outside, darted between them. Tony let her go while at the same time Pepper reached for the tea in his hands to gingerly take.  
“That this thing between us is overdue, that I see how you look at me, that you and Pepper have a chemistry that took us years to build, and that we feel the same.” Tony spoke as he stepped into Stephen’s personal space. Close. So close. Then there was his hand pressed against his chest, his other on the back of his neck pulling him down while curling into his hair.  
“And I’m going to kiss you now.” His words were hot, lips hovering over Stephen’s closed the gap and pressed.


End file.
